Studies Show Mindful Eating Helps with Eating Issues

by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN

Mindfulness research and eating studies are relatively new, yet the conclusions are promising, especially for eating disorders such as, “binge eating, emotional eating, and eating in response to external cues… Mindfulness-based approaches may prevent weight gain.” They suggest that mindfulness practices appear to work by increased awareness of the internal cues, not the external ones for eating.

Harvard’s School of Public Health reviewed 69 intervention studies that show that slowing down the pace of a meal, recognizing our feelings of fullness, and exerting greater control over our food choices all improved eating behaviors.

Studies using the MB -EAT, Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training show decreased binge eating, and further trials showed weight loss within this same population. MB-EAT adapted for Diabetes patients showed improvements in glycemic control, significant weight loss, and decreases in choices for trans-fat and sugar consumption.

Today, many folks work from home. Schools offer online learning, where students and their families can choose to stay home. Holidays are here, and many celebrations will be virtual or within the immediate household. Today restaurants offer more take-out services as they were mandated to restrict the capacity for in-house dining. Some of us are not comfortable eating out with the pandemic. Or our frequency of dining out shifted.

Today we face new stresses that affect us locally and globally. While mindful eating studies are happening today, some are looking at the effects of mindless eating.

Mindful eating practices include:

1.     Mealtime can offer a pause from all our daily activities. Consider taking a moment with your next meal to focus on the food.

2.     Enjoy the meal prep; involve all your senses with the preparation. If you do not cook, then stop a second or two and enjoy the aromas of the meal before you.

3.     When we choose the foods we enjoy, there is a delight factor. Use this sense of deliciousness to bring you into the moment.

4.     Take your time. In the nutrition world, we recommend chewing each bite 20 times. It takes about 20 minutes for our brains to signal that we are sated. We forget that digestion begins in our mouth and includes the brain. It takes a bit of practice if you are used to multitasking while eating or tend to gulp down food without paying attention to the eating of it. How many of us watch a show, get caught up on the news during mealtime? This pandemic is an opportunity to press a reset button and adopt mindful awareness with all activities of daily life, including mindful eating.

5.     Food is emotional. We have favorites and dislikes that can evoke an emotional response. Be aware of how you are responding to the food you are eating.

6.     We must eat and drink fluids every day. Our health depends on it. When we eat with gentle awareness, we provide more ease to our digestion.

7.     Lastly, eat with gratitude. Remember, you probably did not grow the food you are eating. Maybe you did not prepare it. Our food industry is complicated. Today many hands grow, harvest, package, deliver, and serve foods to us. Who are they? Folks like you and I who contribute to our food systems. Mindfulness, in general, and with eating, connect us to something greater in the moment.

Thich Nhat Hanh from his book How to Eat:

“When we can slow down and really enjoy our food, our life takes on a much deeper quality. When I eat in this way, not only am I physically nourished, I am also spiritually nourished.”

Today we leave you with a gentle reminder to eat with gentle awareness. Start with one bite.

It’s that simple.